Bittersweet
by dares to dream
Summary: Life is full of Good times, and Bad. The Beautiful, and the Ugly. And then there are those in-between times, when life turns bittersweet.


**I wrote this and felt the need to post it somewhere even though it wasn't meant to be a fanfiction. It was rather difficult to put into a fandom, but I think this worked out okay in the end. This is the story of Maureen Stabler's birth. **

**((Disclaimer--I do not own anything you recognize from L&O: SVU. This story is merely my imagination taking a real life event and just checking out the [actually very likely] possibilities of "what if..."))**

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**Bittersweet**

_Life is full of Good times, and Bad. The Beautiful, and the Ugly. And then there are those in between times, when life turns bittersweet. _

The window was open wide in the dimly lit room, revealing only gloomy wet skies to the small crowd within.

The sounds of the hospital drifted in through the open doorway as weary nurses darted back and forth between those entrusted to their watchful care, but more watchful than they were the family inside.

Each person in the room was focused on the sole woman lying in her bed; the poor pitiful creature, barely enduring life. One young nephew held her hand, which she gripped until the skin turned white. Another gently rubbed her hair back, soothing her jumping nerves.

Her eyes flitted open and close; eyes which had seen more years flash by any in the room. They were exhausted eyes, tired of the unmerited pain thrust upon her in her last years.

Her hands twitched and gripped, showing a strength that should not be seen in such a frail shadow of life. A strength not being shown in mind.

Her body shifted and stirred as each position grew more excruciating. Each change causing her thin robe to move as well, revealing naked skin only her devoted husband had seen. The aging woman's grandchild, each time, moved to recover her modesty.

The grandchild was young, but old in spirit. Her stomach was round and protruded from her slim but tall frame. A small human still nestled within her mother, but ready to see the world. Ready at that moment.

The pregnant woman felt a small motion move through her and clutched her boyfriend's arm.

"El." Her voice shaking.

"Kathy?" The boyfriend clasped her shoulders and looked his love in the eyes. No more needed to be said as the girl's father leaped up to help them both out of the room; one needing assistance to get to the maternity ward, one simply too in shock to stand.

* * *

It was a different room this time, one where light colored walls and flowers in the corner lit up a room already heavy with bright anticipation.

"Push, Kathy! Push! Come on girl, you know you can do it!" Will rubbed her hand soothingly as he cried out.

The young woman's face was scrunched in concentration. It took all she had to push out the young life. The pain was intense, and every fiber of her being was becoming worn out past the point of exhaustion.

Her voice cracked as she tried to speak back. "I…I can't. Hurts." She screamed out as another contraction ripped through her.

A nurse on the other side of her patted her head with a cool cloth. "Don't say that now, you know you can do it."

"I can't…I just…"

Her boyfriend clasped her hand tighter. "Don't talk like that, Kathy. Do this for your daughter, for her new life. Do this for your grandma; she will want to see her."

* * *

"I can't…I can't do this anymore Eddie." The elderly woman groaned, her voice barely heard a foot away.

"Don't say that, Maur. You can push through, you always do." Her nephew was rubbing her hand gently, providing her the human touch she seemed to need so greatly at the moment.

"No. I can't. I just can't do it. Too much pain. Too much pain. Too much…" The woman, Maureen, closed her eyes. Her legs darted about on the lower half of the bed, jolting and curling in pain.

Her mouth opened and closed as lucidity began to seep away. Groans moved through her, unintelligible and low.

"Maur. Maureen Please, don't go giving up on us. You can do this."

Her eyes opened once more as the voice brought her back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just can't. Too much, too long. I'm ready."

Her nephew looked into her eyes, with tears in his own. "No Maur, please. Stay with us. Stay with us for your great-grandchild."

* * *

With one final push, the room gave a small gasp. There in that room, where there had been four, was now five.

Moments later a cry erupted from the tiny being. Despite the shrill sound, to the new parents it could not have been sweeter.

The nurse moved towards the couple with her clipboard in hand. After a few minutes she placed the board with a small slip of paper on it in front of the newborn's small bed.

_Name: Maureen Rose Stabler_

_Date of Birth: 3/13/90_

_Time of Birth: 7:58 p.m._

* * *

Silence prevailed in the now dim room. Night had fallen, cloaking the room in darkness befitting the bitter time.

One by one each person stepped through the doorway and into the brighter hall, the light doing nothing to change their downcast moods.

A dead beat nurse was last to leave the room, but not before laying a clipboard holding a single sheet of paper in front of the large bed.

_Name: Maureen Ann Stabler_

_Date of Death: 3/13/90_

_Time of Death: 7:58 p.m._

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**I hope some of you out there enjoyed this. I would like to hear what you guys have to say about my writing style etc. and what I should work on--it would be a great help to a lowly fanfic author. Thanks! **


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